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Thursday, 31 March 2016

Indian media is robust. It is energetic and is not shy of asking difficult or even speculative questions – especially when it comes to Indo-Pakistan issues. Last September, when Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif was all set to raise ‘Kashmir issue’ at the UN General assembly session, several Indian channels came up with the news that rebellion and violent insurgency has broken across parts of Azad Kashmir – Pakistani administered part of the split state of Jammu & Kashmir.

Indian media’s assertions were so strong, so strident that even someone like me – in media and from Kashmir – had to call reporters in several parts of the state to find out if there is any such thing happening. After all how could more than one India tv channel report as ‘news’ if nothing was happening. None was happening. We realized that Indian channels were merely dancing to the tune set by ‘Indian Govt’ – at the eve of UN General assembly session. Two months down the line, I was with several media persons from India at Chaophraya Dialogue in Bangkok. Thanks to Jinnah Institute and British Foreign Office. When the discussion turned to media, I raised this point. One very intelligent suave gentleman was an Editor with one of those channels. He candidly laughed and apologized and told us that when it comes to ratings, TRP’s, Indo-Pakistani masala sells.

But if ‘Indo-Pakistani masala’ is important to ratings then the erie silence with which Indian media – both print and electronic – greeted the news of the arrest of Commander Kulbhashan Yadav, in Pakistani Balochistan, is surprising to say the least. Though Pakistani allegations of his being a ‘Research & Analysis Wing’ (RAW) Organizer of political violence and terrorism’ across Balochistan and Karachi were circulating from 24th March onwards, little was discussed in India’s enormously large media. Little except what was officially said by the government in Delhi.

But now since the Pakistani government has formally released his ‘confessional video’ and given details about him, will Indian media still remain shy of asking some basic questions from its government? And those questions are pretty simple.

After the Pakistani press briefing the official Indian position is that the person shown in the video is an ex-Naval officer. Video is doctored and under duress. Kulbubshan Yadav, had left Navy long time ago. And he was doing a private business in Iran. Indian government has nothing to do with whatever activities he was doing in Balochistan. Pakistanis have probably abducted him from Iran, and India must get immediate consular access to its citizen to find out what really happened.

Pakistani side provides graphic details of what really happened. Kulbashan Yadav joined Indian Navy in 1991, was seconded to Naval Intelligence from 2002 onwards; in his video he himself points out that after the attack on Indian parliament in 2001, his interest grew in intelligence work. He was stationed in Iran, at the port of Chahbahar, under cover since 2003, as a businessman trading in gold- with the given name of ‘Patel Hussain Mubarak’ In this ‘disguised role’ he booked several shipping consignments. But his real job was to support insurgency by coordinating subversion, violent activities against general population, targeted attacks against strategic assets and against Chinese workers.

Kulbashan therefore, according to Pakistani accounts – and Pakistani authorities have more than a few dozen hours of video recordings with him – coordinated assets inside Baloch Student Organization (BSO) and Baluch Liberation Army (BLA) – secondary links also existed in Karachi. He also visited Karachi a few times, in the beginning of his positioning in Iran. Sectarian terrorism was part of the remit. He provided finances, weapon supplies and strategic advice. He was reporting directly to Mr. Anil Kumar Gupta, a Joint Secretary of RAW. Pakistani sources also claimed – not during the press conference – that he had access to the head of RAW.

At a later stage, in near past, Commander Kulbashan’s assignments included sabotage plans focused on Gawadar port and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Areas of special focus were: Gawadar, Pasni and Jeewani. His speciality lay in naval sabotage; more facts may emerge. One may not forget that when Mehran base was attacked in 2011, terrorists exhibited an unusual interest in destroying P-3C Orion planes; Pakistan’s naval surveillance capacity only directed towards India. Kulbashan revealed that he travelled frequently into Pakistani territory , literally once every three months, to meet Baloch groups and assets and was caught on 3rd March 2016 in the area of ‘Sarawan’ when he had crossed border to meet assets inside BSO. His blonder was to make extensive use of telephone. (not mentioned in the press conference)

Pakistanis could be lying. Indian government has a valid point that Kulbhashan is under Pakistani control, he is under duress and anything could be put into his mouth. Some in the Indian media have pointed out that Pakistanis are desperate to divert attention from their ‘purported sins’ in Pathankot and terrorism at home. So anything is possible.

But there are things Pakistanis could not have done. Will Indian media not like to ask that when had Commander Kulbashan resigned from the navy or Naval Intelligence to be more precise and under what name? But why suddenly would he then become a Muslim by the name of ‘Patel Hussain Mubarak’? Doing a business in Iran, a friendly country, did not need ‘conversion to Islam’. Hundreds and thousands of Indians work in GCC countries without becoming Muslims. And he – the ex-Naval Officer – worked around port of Chahbahar, an epitome of Indo-Iranian joint strategic vision.

Indian media – if it wants – can surely check from his family and friends, if Kulbashan Yadav had become Muslim and adopted a new name? How come he obtained a passport under the name of ‘Patel Hussain Mubarak’? Why would he take extra-ordinary risks of obtaining Iranian visas under this name? When officers are seconded for intelligence work in foreign countries, advanced resignations are secured to meet contingencies, like the one which India faces now. But media inquiries will quickly reveal if in his immediate family and local community he was perceived as the businessman or a Naval Officer posted in Iran?

Indian media can easily find out the details of Kulbashan or Patel Hussain’s business; financial flows, banking details, profits earned, goods imported or exported, LC’s opened, business associates and so on; and most importantly change in life style of his family from that of a naval officer in 2003 to a successful businessman in 2016; and within these details they will find all answers.

Indian government will not admit; no Government affords to admit. Government job is not to admit in situations like these; government’s job is to spin, to plant stories; but Indian media can find the truth for itself – if it so desires.

ISLAMABAD: After the arrest of Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent Kulbhushan Yadev and his earth-shaking revelation regarding supervision of terror activities in Pakistan, supporters of a political party went into a frenzy regarding Indian engineers visiting Pakistan to help maintenance in sugar mills owned by politicians and ruling elites in Pakistan and also declared them agents of RAW.

It was one-way traffic on the social media when Indian engineers were being declared agents by accounts run by a typical mind-set and supporters of a political party too joined them and started circulating a document showing that an Indian engineer had visited a sugar mills. The said engineer was declared Indian agent without knowing the fact that Indian engineers visit Pakistan more regularly in view of the technical maintenance of the sugar mills.

There were instances when mills had requested the Pakistan High Commission in India to facilitate visas of Indian engineers. Well-placed sources told The News that visits of Indian engineers are a routine matter.

Military sources confirmed that Pakistan agencies had cleared all Indian engineers visiting sugar mills in Pakistan including those being dubbed as RAW agents. Importantly, even ISPR had also denied arresting any “RAW agent” from any sugar mills.

Pakistanis are happier than Indians once again, according to findings of a United Nations-sanctioned report released on Wednesday.

Out of a total 157 countries that were evaluated, Pakistan came in at 92, while India was placed at 118. Both countries have slipped as last year’s rankings had Pakistan at 81 and India at 117.

Aiming to “survey the scientific underpinnings of measuring and understanding subjective well-being,” the report, now in its fourth edition, ranks countries by happiness levels using factors such as:

GDP per capita, healthy years of life expectancy, social support (as measured by having someone to count on in times of trouble), trust (as measured by a perceived absence of corruption in government and business), perceived freedom to make life decisions, and generosity (as measured by recent donations).

Differences in social support, incomes and healthy life expectancy are the three most important factors.

This time around, Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world’s happiest place.

The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and protect the environment.

It showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live.

The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland.

The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50.

“There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier,” said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

While the differences between countries where people are happy and those where they are not could be scientifically measured, “we can understand why and do something about it,” Sachs, one of the report’s authors, said in an interview in Rome.

“The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is deteriorating, faith in government is deteriorating,” he said.

“When countries single-mindedly pursue individual objectives, such as economic development to the neglect of social and environmental objectives, the results can be highly adverse for human wellbeing, even dangerous for survival,” it said.

“Many countries in recent years have achieved economic growth at the cost of sharply rising inequality, entrenched social exclusion, and grave damage to the natural environment.”

The first report was issued in 2012 to support a United Nations meeting on happiness and well-being. Five countries ─ Bhutan, Ecuador, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela ─ now have appointed Ministers of Happiness charged with promoting it as a goal of public policy.

The 2016 survey showed that three countries in particular, Ireland, Iceland and Japan, were able to maintain their happiness levels despite external shocks such as the post-2007 economic crisis and the 2011 earthquake because of social support and solidarity.

Sachs pointed to Costa Rica, which came in 14th and ahead of many wealthier countries, as an example of a healthy, happy society although it is not an economic powerhouse.

LAHORE (Staff Report) – Spokesman for Ramzan Sugar Mills has strongly dismissed a report of Samaa TV which claimed that at least two Indian nationals working at Ramzan Sugar mills were arrested on the basis of leads provided by detained RAW officer Kulbushan Yadav.

In a fact sheet issued to media, the spokesman said that some Indians were working at the sugar mills but till date no one from security institutions has contacted them or their company of any development neither the consultants.

“All of the workers were issued visas by Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi after due security checks from relevant agencies since they first started working in Pakistan,” the statement said.

Revealing more details of Indians working in Pakistan, it said that there are 4000+ Indians working in Pakistan in different industries and sectors.

Letter written by Jahangir Tareen’s sugar mill (JDW Sugar Mills) for issuance of visa for Indian engineers, shows its a common practice in the industry. JDW was the first sugar mill responsible for bringing Indian engineers into Pakistan.

“Jehangir Tareen introduced this Indian consultancy company in Pakistan in 2013 and put up 2 plants with their engineering support in United Sugar mills and Gothki Sugar mills. In 2014 another sugar mills called RYK put up a plant with the same company . In 2015 we put up the same plant and ours is 100 percent Chinese equipment in consultancy services with the same company.”

DG ISPR Asim Bajwa in a joint press conference with Information Minister, Parvez Rasheed, had also categorically denied that any Indian agents or engineers were ever arrested from any sugar mill of the country.http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/sharif-family-says-no-indian-arrested-from-ramzan-sugar-mills/

ISLAMABAD - Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has made it clear to all and sundry that the counter-terrorism operation launched in Punjab will be across the board, a proposition the ruling party in the province taking with skepticism.Well-placed security and political sources told The Nation yesterday that General Raheel Sharif had categorically directed his commanders to ensure transparency and fair play in the operation regardless of any political consideration.Under the intelligence-based operations (IBOs) launched by the army and Rangers on Sunday, a number of terrorists and their facilitators have been arrested from Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan. The operation continues with full force. According to sources, this is probably the reason the ruling party in the province is not happy with the military move and is reluctant to give a free hand to Rangers. “Since the PML-N derives political support from the sympathisers of various banned terrorist outfits, it fears a sizeable number of its MPs may bear the brunt,” political sources following the development said. They believed some of the key leaders of the PML-N could make to the parliament largely with the support of such organisations and their sympathisers.Though some members of the party have rejected this perception, sources said they were reluctant to accept the direct role of the army and Rangers in the counter-terrorism operations.They alleged some PML-N MNAs and MPAs from the Punjab are not only sympathisers of the extremist forces but also are running seminaries to support their cause.They also pointed out that other political parties in the province which had direct or indirect support or sympathy of extremist forces would also be targeted in the operation. On the other hand, the ruling party in the Punjab is also twisting the military move as a tacit understanding between the civil and military leaders and as part of their strategy to conduct parallel operations being carried out by the intelligence agencies, the army and Rangers by Counter-Terrorism Department and the provincial police.Sources in the ruling party said the objective of the two parallel operations in the province was the same to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) effectively in the most transparent manner.The Punjab Home Department has already clarified that it has no instructions to issue any notification regarding the military and Rangers’ special operations in the province. According to the sources, the action will be conducted under a verbal understanding between the military and civilian authorities.However, some members of the Punjab Assembly have confirmed that a request has been pending with the provincial head for last two months to engage Rangers to deal with the resurgence of the banned outfits’ activities.The groups to face the blow are already designated as terrorists. They include Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, al-Qaeda, Khuddam-ul-Islam (ex-Jaish), Hizb-ut-Tahrir and TTP as well as its associates, including Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.As per the list firmed up by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), there are 36 terrorists belonging to TTP and its splinters, 28 to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, 30 to Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, 27 to Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan, 14 to Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, eight to al-Qaeda and 14 to others.Some of the executed high-ranking terrorists mainly belonged to southern parts of the province, which gave credence to the military and Rangers to focus on South Punjab.

Wednesday, 30 March 2016

The view that ‘technocrats’ can deliver where politicians have failed crops up from time to time in Pakistan, gaining momentum whenever the representative government comes under severe political pressure. Implicit in this view is that technocrats take independent decisions without unwanted political influences. It is true in a sense that technocracy is a form of government in which the decision-makers are chosen for a governing office based on their technical expertise. A technocracy differs from a traditional democracy, in that individuals elected to a leadership role are chosen through a process that emphasizes their relevant skills and proven performance, as opposed to whether or not they come into office through popular demand.

Here , the most pertinent question is that who are the technocrats?

It is, in fact, a loose term that we use to lump all semi-well clad, reasonably well-read people who are outside government. In fact, the researchers, writers, professors, bankers, doctors, lawyers and other such skilled people all are ‘technocrats’. Unlike politicians, technocrats are qualified people who master the field of their specialties and would be able to take decisions that will hopefully rescue the country mired in economic and social problems. They are the people who put national interests above political parties’ interests. That is, they have no political party interests to protect and in this way, they serve the interests of society.

Decision making in the Pakistani form of democracy is undertaken by elected individuals generally on the basis of their opinions. In a technocracy, decision-making is undertaken by chosen individuals on the basis of “information derived from methodology rather than opinion”. In the context of Pakistan, as corruption, nepotism, poor governance, illiteracy and feudalism are destroying the country, the question of pivotal importance is: “Should we go for a technocrat setup to undo the wrongdoings of the politicians?”

One cannot argue against democracy, as this form of government represents the true voice of the people. That said, do the Pakistani people have, at all, a voice? Or do a majority of voters just follow the trumpets of their feudal lords? If this stands true, then how can this pseudo-democracy help Pakistan gain the glory its founding fathers had envisioned?

Pakistan is at the stage where technical knowledge and a fool proof strategy are required to pull the country out of multiple crises. Pakistan will not be the first country to adapt this strategy, albeit temporarily; around the world, it is always in times of crisis that technocracy comes up. In the Great Depression of the early 1930s, technocracy became popular in the US and Canada. The Greek debt crisis brought in an economist Lucas Papademos as PM replacing politician PM George Papandreou. The Italian debt crisis brought in Economist Mario Monti as PM replacing politician Silvio Berlusconi. In recent times, it was also suggested for Crimea by world leaders to help the city govern itself effectively through annexation. Rumours of technocrats are surfacing in Europe to help the EU out of a financial crisis. Africa itself is now looking towards technocrats to stabilize the continent and to bring struggling nations up at par with Kenya and South Africa.

Since the early 1980s, post-Mao China has been governed by three generations of technocratic leadership. In the present-day China, more and more men and women in the government are specifically trained for the posts and or ministries that they are in charge of. The results are clear as China is stepping into the shoes of a world power with an ever growing middle class and spending power to support it.Pakistan has excelled during military rule as dictators have directed technocrats into leadership roles; hence decisions were made not for popularity but to increase GDP and productivity of the nation. Hence we saw higher growth during martial law periods. A relevant example of a technocrat in the Pakistani system would be former Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz — a banker for Citibank — who revolutionized the country’s economic strategies. During his tenure as a finance minister, and then as prime minister of the country, Pakistan saw a rise in its GDP, leading to a flourishing economy and international recognition.

Pakistan is at a crossroads and democracy in Pakistan has not worked for the two primary reasons: (1) It can keep spiralling downwards with ministers who have fake degrees and are incompetent for the ministries that they hold; (2) It is a country which is governed by feudal lords who come into power with autonomy, hence the essence of the voice of the people is lost even before votes are cast. Until land reforms are introduced, the masses will remain at the mercy of these leaders.

Taking into account the current crises, Pakistan is faced with, it is a good idea to keep politicians away from government for some time. A government of technocrats could mitigate the miseries of Pakistan. Public at large believe that so-called democratic governments have always failed in tackling the crises. The country needs competent leadership and a team of technocrats to fix its structural problems before handing it over to next elected regime. Some may argue that a technocratic government is not democratic because it is not elected by the people, but it is less important the way such people are selected as long as they can effectively come up with measures that will take the country afloat.

Technocrats serving a full term and then a transitional one will guide the nation back onto the path which Quaid-i-Azam had envisioned. The route to a lasting constituency for sustainable development is certainly through more and more democracy, not technocracy but unfortunately the multi-party political landscape in the country has been in disarray and politicians have failed in running the affairs of the state and delivering. Injection of technocrats into the system will keep the appointed ministers and people focused on their tasks, which would not only stabilize the county but also the region.

A technocracy is a government in which the decision-makers are chosen for a governing office based on their technical expertise and background. A technocracy differs from a traditional democracy, in that individuals elected to a leadership role are chosen through a process that emphasizes their relevant skills and proven performance, as opposed to whether or not they come into office through popular demand. Although the original form of a technocracy has softened and evolved over the years, the school of thought suggests that decisions made by technocrats would be based on information derived from methodology rather than opinion.

Is corruption, coupled with illiteracy and feudalism, destroying Pakistan? One cannot argue against democracy, as this form of government represents the true voice of the people. That said, do the Pakistani people have a voice? Or do a majority of voters just follow the trumpets of their feudal lords? If this stands true, then how can this pseudo democracy help Pakistan gain the glory its founding fathers had envisioned?

Pakistan is at the stage where technical knowledge and a fool proof strategy are required to pull the country out of multiple crises. Pakistan will not be the first country to adapt this strategy, albeit temporarily; the United States introduced technocrats into their governing system during the Great Depression.

In recent times, it was also suggested for Crimea by world leaders to help the city govern itself effectively through annexation. Rumors of technocrats are surfacing in Europe to help the EU out of a financial crisis. Africa itself is now looking towards technocrats to stabilize the continent and to bring struggling nations up to par with Kenya and South Africa.

Since the early 1980s, post-Mao China has been governed by three generations of technocratic leadership. In present day China, more and more men and women in the government are specifically trained for the posts and or ministries that they are in charge of. The results are clear as China is stepping into the shoes of a World Power with an ever growing middle class and spending power to support it.

Pakistan has excelled during military rule as dictators have directed technocrats into leadership roles, hence decisions were made not for popularity but to increase GDP and productivity of the nation. Hence we saw higher growth during martial law. A relevant example of a technocrat in the Pakistani system would be Shaukat Aziz, a former banker for Citibank who revolutionized the country’s economic strategies. During his tenure as a finance minister and prime minister of the country, Pakistan saw a rise in its GDP, leading to a flourishing economy and international recognition.

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Pakistan is at a crossroad and democracy in Pakistan is not and has not worked for the following two primary reasons; It can keep spiraling downwards with ministers who have fake degrees and are incompetent for the ministries that they hold. It is a country which is governed by feudal lords who come into power with autonomy, hence the essence of the voice of the people is lost even before votes are cast. Until land reforms are introduced, the masses will remain at the mercy of these leaders.

The 2013 elections are stained with rigging, to the extent that the ruling government’s Railway minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique, was caught red handed stamping ballot booklets. Although this video became viral on local news channels across the country, no legal actions were taken by the judiciary, which is famously known to be in bed with the ruling PMLN party.

Technocrats serving a full term and then a transitional one will guide the nation back unto the path of Jinnah’s vision. Ministers in order to gain access to party tickets have to pay a hefty fee and they spend their tenure in government making up for the dent through corruption. MQM (Mutihida Quami Movement) is the only party in Pakistan to issue tickets based on merit then a ticket price. Therefore Karachi flourished the most during the Pervez Musharraf era which gave the MQM funds. During that era, Karachi saw massive development. However, democratic governments that followed slashed the city’s budgets close to nil. Interestingly enough, Karachi is contributes to over 60 percent of the countries economy.

Injection of technocrats into the system will keep the appointed ministers and people focused on their tasks, which would not only stabilize the county but also the region. Technocrats would also try to better ties with India unlike politicians who use anti-India slogans to gain popularity amongst the people.

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The writer is a barrister and columnist. He is an Advocate of the High Court, and tweets @AsadRahim

In his younger, angrier days, Iqbal wrote: “Justice is an inestimable treasure; but we must guard it against the thief of mercy.” Some hundred years later, justice is long dead; courtesy the kind of mercy that flows from fear.

Fear that thrives off the sectarian swamp in southern Punjab. There’s no other way of putting this and — let’s be honest — everyone’s been saying it for years. In columns and cable television, in academic theses and wall-chalkings: this cancer is in Punjab.

There are two parties here: the mutants in the south, and their apologists in the centre. Takht-e-Lahore has militancy down to a science: listen to bomb blasts in the distance, buckle down, and look away. If it’s not here, it’s not anywhere.

Sure, Hazaras are cleansed from Quetta, and college kids are shot at in Charsadda, and there is sectarian violence in Abbas Town, and bad things happen in badlands far and away.

But Punjab, to quote another insipid right-winger, is a shining city on a hill — the ‘roshan’ in Roshan Pakistan. If it happens in Karachi, punch them in the face. If it happens in Fata, whack them back to Nuristan. But if there are tremors in Punjab, kick it under the carpet.

Forget the south, the Muslim League wasn’t even taking on the north. The year 2013 was proof of as much: talk to the Taliban. Dilly-dally on North Waziristan. Watch them blow up the district courts in Islamabad. Professor Ibrahim may yet cut us a deal.

But Waziristan happened. Zarb-e-Azb happened. And as the operation concludes in Shawwal, it’s time we held on again.

By mid-2013, there were three flashpoints: Karachi, Fata, and southern Punjab. The fact we’ve gone so hard in the first two, and left the third untouched, sums up the centre in a single sentence.

On Easter Sunday, Gulshan-e-Iqbal became a nightmare. Those who’ve seen the rides, who’ve seen kids run in the grass; who’ve breathed the air of Gulshan-e-Iqbal; lack the faculty to say more. What kind of sick idea is this meant to achieve — to murder children on swing sets?

“Contemplation without action is death,” Iqbal once said. There can be no more hemming and hawing. The suspected bomber reportedly hails from Muzaffargarh, where sectarian hate finds fertile ground. It’s time to flush out militancy from Punjab. And at the risk of repetition, it’s now or never.

That’s for the short run. In the long run, when you let your backyard become a violent snake pit, it tends to explode out front. What we now have is three provinces outsourced to the military and Rangers, and the state refusing to take the brunt in Punjab or Islamabad either.

So, while an operation in Punjab needed to happen yesterday, the civilian project is even more vital: madrassas, with all kinds of cruel and unusual curricula, operate with impunity. The nexus between charity drives and banned outfits has been entrenched for decades.

Education, welfare, volunteerism; this kind of extremist ingress can’t be fought with strikes and strafing. Ideas are fought with ideas: national action plans, press campaigns, economic incentives. Instead, we have mass deprivation on our hands.

And it wasn’t always this way. According to the Institute of Public Policy (IPP), “Multan and Rahim Yar Khan were ranked 4th and 6th in Punjab” around the 1970s. According to the IPP report, “southern parts of the province were massively neglected later on in the provision of economic infrastructure and public service delivery, resulting in the steep decline in their development ranking”.

Today, of Punjab’s 36 districts, it’s the South that shows up dead last in development indicators. The budget remains a fraction of what’s actually spent on Lahori white elephants, and what’s allotted isn’t used — for an effective disbursement of funds to happen (i.e., the kind that makes for grassroots improvement) you need an effective local government. Without the second, you can’t get the first.

Yes, the jury’s still out on whether poverty is a cause or correlation of militancy. But it’s not as if the state’s set about disproving it: southern Punjab remains one of the hottest, poorest, angriest places in the land.

This is a long-haul project: it requires army operations, and subsequently, civilian surgery. To pretend otherwise is what we’ve done since 2009, Punjab Police style: hammer a ringleader or two, filter the second-tier guys, and talk to anyone that’s reasonable.

But that’s too little, too late: without cutting out the cancer in the south, everything else is window-dressing.

Meanwhile, the real deal-breaker was, is, and always has been the police. The current counter-terror strategy relies on ‘special units’: elite forces; a crew of James Bonds fully-equipped to take on terror. But that’s not the answer — it’s the humdrum of regular police work: investigation; evidence collection; forensics; case building; that needs upgrading.

And from proper evidence collection flows proper prosecution, which may mean our courts actually convict terrorists than acquit them on sight.

The justice system; service delivery; sectarian groups; policing — when it comes to southern Punjab, where to start?

Perhaps there’s no place to look but the beginning. We celebrated March 23 with enthusiasm. But let’s remember what actually happened on March 23, 1940: Mr Jinnah declaring “full religious liberty, i.e., liberty of belief, worship and observance” to all communities, and protection of minorities’ “religious, cultural, [and] economic’ rights” in Lahore.

What we call Pakistan Day, is the anniversary of the Quaid painting our green banners white. A week from then, we watched as sick-hearted men ostensibly targeting Christian women and children — and all Lahore came out, giving their blood, shedding their tears: Muslim, Christian, Hindu.

And while gardens named for Iqbal are bombed, ideas cannot be undone. “The message of love,” he wrote, “when I can no longer keep it to myself, I come and tell it to your shining stars.”

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